Brief description of the plot:
In this chapter, everybody seems to have had bad luck. The entire summer, Jurgis and his family are working hard to afford a decent wedding, and even after the wedding, they were in deep debt. When Ona asked for a day off after her wedding, she was rejected by the ugly forelady. Jurgis's feelings for Ona are powerful; whenever he thinks of her, he is motivated to work harder than ever because he thinks he is not good enough for her. Also, his view of Chicago changed greatly as he started to work and live there. He believes that the industries all lied to you no matter who you were. The cold weather forced everybody to wear multiple layers, but that did not help them feel much warmer. Inside their home was about as cold as the winter outside; the only source of heat they had was the small, puny stove. Jurgis focused so much on his work and pay that he did not even have time to mourn over the death of his father. Jurgis's son, Stanislovas, is frightened of what happened to another boy he worked with; the boy's ears broke off aftera couple rubs. So Jurgis had to take him home every day, even days where he would be late, and Stanislovas would be sitting in the freezing cold weather.
Characters in the Chapter:
Jurgis Rudkus, Ona, Stanislovas, Antanas Rudkus, Teta Elzbieta
Notable passages (including page number):
"Over them, relentless and savage, there cracked...for the foreman booted him twice to waken him." (77)
"Jurgis lost his temper very little...and his habit of swearing when things went wrong." (78)
"It was a war of each against all...and who used all the virtues to bait their traps with." (78)
"The great corporation which employed you lied to you, and lied to the whole country--from top to bottom it was nothing but one gigantic lie." (78)
"Upon being asked what the difference was...and had better take the more expensive clock!" (80)
"Then too, a still more dreadful thing happened to him...yet old Antanas would not quit..." (81)
"For twenty-five years, old Antanas Rudkus and his son...and so had no time to indulge in memories and grief." (82)
"There was only one condition attached--you must drink." (86)
"As if to complete the chain, the packers...and had to drift about from one to another." (86-87)
"There would be no one to hear them if they cried out...their turn to be shaken from the tree." (88)
In this chapter, everybody seems to have had bad luck. The entire summer, Jurgis and his family are working hard to afford a decent wedding, and even after the wedding, they were in deep debt. When Ona asked for a day off after her wedding, she was rejected by the ugly forelady. Jurgis's feelings for Ona are powerful; whenever he thinks of her, he is motivated to work harder than ever because he thinks he is not good enough for her. Also, his view of Chicago changed greatly as he started to work and live there. He believes that the industries all lied to you no matter who you were. The cold weather forced everybody to wear multiple layers, but that did not help them feel much warmer. Inside their home was about as cold as the winter outside; the only source of heat they had was the small, puny stove. Jurgis focused so much on his work and pay that he did not even have time to mourn over the death of his father. Jurgis's son, Stanislovas, is frightened of what happened to another boy he worked with; the boy's ears broke off aftera couple rubs. So Jurgis had to take him home every day, even days where he would be late, and Stanislovas would be sitting in the freezing cold weather.
Characters in the Chapter:
Jurgis Rudkus, Ona, Stanislovas, Antanas Rudkus, Teta Elzbieta
Notable passages (including page number):
"Over them, relentless and savage, there cracked...for the foreman booted him twice to waken him." (77)
"Jurgis lost his temper very little...and his habit of swearing when things went wrong." (78)
"It was a war of each against all...and who used all the virtues to bait their traps with." (78)
"The great corporation which employed you lied to you, and lied to the whole country--from top to bottom it was nothing but one gigantic lie." (78)
"Upon being asked what the difference was...and had better take the more expensive clock!" (80)
"Then too, a still more dreadful thing happened to him...yet old Antanas would not quit..." (81)
"For twenty-five years, old Antanas Rudkus and his son...and so had no time to indulge in memories and grief." (82)
"There was only one condition attached--you must drink." (86)
"As if to complete the chain, the packers...and had to drift about from one to another." (86-87)
"There would be no one to hear them if they cried out...their turn to be shaken from the tree." (88)